With Earth Day approaching next week, and the recent successful completion of the Artemus 2 mission, I’ve been thinking of our planet’s presence in the universe. I was happy to discover a library of images on the NASA website that are free for educational use without requiring prior permission. This photo, in particular, caught my eye and captured my heart. I wanted to write this last week, but decided to wait until the Artemus 2 astronauts were safely back on Planet Earth. That happened last Friday, and was inspiring to watch.
I didn’t follow the mission too closely, but it was always in the back of my mind as updates occurred over the ten days. I have vivid memories of several space travel moments in the past 60 years. I remember as an 18-year-old gazing up at the moon on the night of July 20, 1969, in awe that there was a human walking around on the moon’s surface. I recall the morning of January 28, 1986, when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into the mission. All seven crew members died, including Christa McAuliffe, a teacher, who would have been the first civilian in space. There were other celebrations and tragedies that were part of NASA’s history that were woven into my memory over the years. It was exciting when I learned of the Artemus 2 mission.
I’m not a scientist or engineer, and I know very little about the science involved in space travel. What drew me into following Artemus 2 was the humanity of the astronauts, especially as they described their experiences passing behind the moon when they were completely cut off from communications with the Earth. Several of their quotes felt like poetry to me, poetry that expressed appreciation for the planet upon which we live. Here are a few of their quotes:
“In all of this emptiness — this whole bunch of nothing we call the universe — you have this oasis [of earth], this beautiful place that we get to exist in together.” —Victor Glover
“Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbedly in the universe…Planet Earth, you are a crew.” —Christina Koch
“Trust us, you look amazing, you look beautiful…and from up here, you also look like one thing. Homo sapiens, all of us, no matter where you’re from or what you look like, we’re all one people.” —Victor Glover
“We will explore. We will build. We will build ships. We will visit again. We will construct science outposts. We will drive rovers. We will do radio astronomy. We will found companies. We will bolster industry. We will inspire. But ultimately, we will always choose Earth. We will always choose each other.” —Christina Koch
What I took from their words, and others they shared, was a deep appreciation for the beauty of our planet and the diversity of humans that inhabit it. Within that diversity they offered reminders that “we are a crew” and need to work together to help our planet survive and move forward into a healthy future. Ultimately, what is required of us is to choose Earth, choose each other, and choose love. It’s the intention we have for every day at the Seed. May this message prevail, particularly as we celebrate Earth Day next week.